From Failing Hands
by Jonn Wood
Summary: Four years later, Hiro tries to find some closure. Crossover with (SPOILER).


"Hiro?" someone called.

He got up from his seat in the waiting room, and pushed open the door, where the medium was waiting.

Hiro stared at the woman he had come to see. She looked full-blooded Japanese, instead of half-gaijin like he was. Hard to tell her age, but by her figure and the backs of her hands, she was probably somewhere in her...thirties?

The first thing that came out of his mouth was "Aren't you supposed to wear kimonos and stuff?"

The medium looked down at her purple sweats. "I'm the master of the technique. I can wear whatever I want." She grinned at him. "This one time, I was in a maid costume-"

Hiro held up his hands. "Oookay, I'm _pretty_ sure I'm not old enough to hear that one."

She looked puzzled. "Wikipedia says you're eighteen."

"Yeah, but I don't - you _Googled_ me?"

She shrugged. "Thought the name sounded familiar. Genius young inventor and humanitarian. Still can't comb his hair." A half-smile. "Come on in."

Hiro discreetly tried to paw his hair into neatness as she escorted him into, well, it was a living room. There was a memorial with a picture of a brown-haired woman in one corner, with incense, but it was otherwise a normal California living room, including the cheeseburger wrapper the older woman shoved under the armchair with one foot before she plopped down in it.

"Do you have something of Tadashi's?"

Hiro pulled the cap off his head, and sidearmed it across the room. The medium snagged it out of the air and studied it, tracing the logo on the front with one finger. Then she put it on her own head.

"How do I look?" she said.

"Like the hat's too big for you." Hiro sat down on the couch.

She smiled. "I need to meditate." A frown. "But I'm forgetting something - ah!" She pulled an old-looking necklace from the pocket of her sweatshirt, lifted the hat, and put in on one-handed.

"Don't you need incense and stuff?"

"I told you, kid, I do what I want." She closed her eyes. "Besides, that's mostly marketing these days."

Hiro tried not to fidget. The older woman was breathing easily, and seemed to be falling asleep, her chest rising and falling. The inventor tried not to stare.

Which meant he didn't notice when there was nothing to stare _at_.

"Hiro?"

It couldn't be.

"What happened?"

She looked exactly like his brother, down to the broad shoulders, except that Tadashi would never be caught dead in lavender.

The hat even fit.

"Well, first things first." Hiro took a deep breath. "Callaghan killed you."

* * *

"- And they stabilized the portal to the moon. Turns out frictionless bearings are real useful up there. They have a few Baymaxes-"

"- But they don't work as well on the surface, because of the lack of air. So they're restricted to the base. So, outside, they use your microbots?"

"Yep."

Tadashi rubbed his chin. "What about Mars?"

"The first portal's supposed to arrive in four months."

Tadashi smiled. "Good. That's good. I'm proud of you, brother."

Hiro felt something unclench in his chest, and blinked quickly a few times.

"How...how did you react when you realized the man in the mask was Callaghan?"

Hiro swallowed. "I...I kinda went nuts."

"_Hiro_. What did you do?"

His younger brother looked away. "I tried-I tried to-" This time, he couldn't hold back the tears. "I was just so _angry_." He stared at the floor, even as Tadashi got up and crossed the room, to put a hand on his shoulder. Hiro looked up.

"You were angry. I get it. Remember when Mochi 1.0 got hit by that guy on the scooter?"

Hiro winced. "I remember how pissed off you were."

"I nearly dragged him off the bike and smashed his face in with his own pizzas, which, in retrospect, would've been kinda hard. Aunt Cass had to hold me back."

"That, I don't remember."

"You were too busy crying over Mochi. I would've felt sorry later, just like you would've regretted...hurting Callaghan."

"Yeah. Yeah, I know."

Beat.

"They named a _building_ after me?"

"It was going to be named after Callaghan, but after they found out that he blew up the first one-"

"Wait, you were right behind me - _were you okay_?"

"I'm fine. Barely any hearing damage. Sheesh." Hiro rolled his eyes. "Most of the damage was emotional."

"Sorry. I wouldn't've gone in if I knew -"

"But you didn't." Hiro shook his head. "It's not your fault you died. You were just...collateral damage."

Tadashi studied him. "You seem pretty okay with this."

Hiro snorted. "The first few months weren't pretty. I've had four years, some therapy, and some good friends to help."

"Yeah. They're the best, aren't they?" His head turned, as if hearing something off in the distance. "I...I have to go now."

"Tadashi, _wait_!"

"What for?"

"Can...can you sing 'Daisy, daisy'?"

His brother grinned. "Goodbye, Hiro."

"Bye. And...thanks. I miss you."

Tadashi nodded, and then Hiro's eyes blurred with tears again, so his first sign that the medium had changed back was her sitting on the couch.

"Hiro?" she said.

He nodded at...something. "I'll be fine, just give me a-"

She was holding out a tissue.

"Th-thanks."

* * *

The medium walked him to the door.

"Uh...if you don't mind me asking...why do this for free?"

In response, she hugged him.

Even as he hugged her back - awkwardly - Hiro compared it to other hugs. Honey's enthusiastic gangly squeeze, Gogo's stiff, strong reluctance, even Baymax was like hugging a balloon. This...this felt more...mother-y.

Among other things.

"You're not the only one who's lost an older sibling," she murmured. Was...was she crying onto his head?

"_Well_!" He pushed away from her, face red. "I think I'll be going now!"

She swiped at her face with one hand as he opened the door, to find Baymax standing there.

He waved at the medium. "Hello. Hiro, I detected Tadashi's bio-signs and vocal patterns, but -"

"Yeah, I'll explain later. C'mon, big guy." He paused, turned back to the medium, and bowed, formally. "_Arigatou gozaimasu, reibai-sama._"

She rolled her eyes. "Next time, just say '_thanks, Maya_'."

* * *

So, one of the thoughts I (and, according to TVTropes, at least one other person) had coming out of the theatre was that the Western version of Ace Attorney takes place in a Los Angeles which evidently had a lot more Japanese influence than the real life version. Similarly, Big Hero 6's San Fransokyo seems to be in San Fran, except, again, with more Japanese influence. Enough to rename the city at some point, maybe.

That's my headcanon and I'm sticking to it.


End file.
